Twelve of the 13 colonies voted in favor when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Twelve colonial delegations voted for the measure, while New York abstained because its delegation had not yet received instructions from the colony's convention. New York later supported independence.
The vote followed Congress's July 2 resolution declaring that the colonies were free and independent states. Thomas Jefferson's committee draft was then debated, revised, and approved. The document explained the political reasons Congress gave for separating from Great Britain.
The twelve-vote figure describes the adoption vote, not the number of colonies that eventually signed the parchment or the number of states that later joined the Union. The Declaration's famous date is July 4, although the timing and sequence of signing have been debated by historians.